walking daily in the shadow of the cross

I have to admit I haven’t allowed myself to get sucked into Glee, but my wife is a recent convert. I know it’s a huge show right now, and the songs can definitely be catchy. In many ways the show is pretty “clean,” but what concerns me is the worldview it’s teaching.

A worldview is the basic set of truths by which you interpret the world around you. Sexual liberty is one of the core pieces of the Glee worldview: whether it’s Rachel’s virginity or Kurt’s homosexuality, it’s all good. The idea that we’re all sexual people, and we should all be allowed to express our sexuality however we want to seems to be one of the core principles that the students and teachers live by.

The Bible teaches that we are all sexual people, Glee got that right… but I think that’s a tough one to get wrong. What concerns me is that there’s no boundaries or limitations. In last night’s episode Kurt and Blaine (I think I’m getting their names right, I just had to look it up) kissed, and everyone on Facebook and Twitter seems ecstatic that Kurt had finally woo’d his man-crush, Blaine, and that they kissed. This praiseworthy, really?

Sexuality must have boundaries if we desire to please God and worship Him. As we discuss in youth group, we must have Moral Boundaries. Sexuality is like fire: it can be a great blessing and heat your house, or it can cause much devastation and burn you down. Fire in a fireplace is good; sexuality expressed between a man and woman who are married to each other is beautiful. Fire in your carpet and on your walls is very very bad; sexuality expressed without any boundaries will lead to much hurt, heartache, and long-term damage (especially if you do get married later on).

Be thoughtful about the shows you watch, and think through the worldview you are being taught.

If you want to be able to discern the worldview behind your media (tv, movies, music, etc.), you need to be committed to studying Scripture so you know what’s true.

Discuss this stuff with your friends, with your kids, with whoever else might claim to be a Christian, and see what they think about the different ideas that are behind the shows you watch and music you listen to.

5 thoughts on “The Glee-ification of Teen Sexuality”

Well said. C.S.Lewis in Screwtape Letters said something like all good pleasures are from God but all of them can be pushed beyound intended and into sin. I would suggest shutting the Television off all together and get outside, play in the fresh air, walk the dog, work in the yard, drink coffee on the deck, or read a good book.

Mike, interesting viewpoint though I wonder if you had occasion to watch the show more regularly, you might have written a somewhat different post. Kurt and Blaine are both virgins. It’s the straight teen characters on the show who are constantly having sex with each other. I’m a big fan of the show and I see where you’re coming from — I sometimes find the sexuality of the show to be too much. But why single out the gay characters for a simple kiss? Maybe you could do a follow up post on the straight characters after your wife makes you sit through a few more episodes! : ) Peace, Brian

Hey Brian, that’s a totally fair criticism, if I watched more I might think a little more differently. That’s one of the reasons the post is so short, because I don’t want to make a complete judgment over a show I really don’t know too well.

My point isn’t so much about promiscuity, but is more about the worldview and the view of sexuality in general. It doesn’t seem to me like one of those shows where everyone’s having sex with everyone, and I think that’s encouraging. However, when I hear about Christians posting stuff on Facebook seemingly rejoicing that Kurt & Blaine kissed, I get disappointed that the worldview of the show is shaping the worldview of those who are watching. That’s what concerns me most.

This is from a couple of weeks ago, from Kurt’s dad to Kurt. The Talk about sex and the significance behind it:

“When you’re intimate with someone in that way, you gotta know that you’re exposing yourself. You’re never gonna be more vulnerable, and that scares the hell out of a lot of guys…With two guys you’ve got two people who think that sex is just sex. It’s gonna be easier to come by and once you start, you aren’t gonna want to stop. You gotta know that it means something. It’s doing something to you, to your heart, to your self-esteem, even though it feels like you’re just having fun…When you’re ready, I want you to be able to do everything. But when you’re ready, I want you to use it as a way to connect to another person. Don’t throw yourself around like you don’t matter, because you matter.”

Hi Travis, thanks for hunting down that quote and sharing it! Wow, I wish more dads would have similar talks with their kids. The only thing I’d like more would be changing the end to “But when you’re ready, I want you to get married first.” 🙂